PAIN.
A lot of pain.
That was the first thing Leonel felt when he woke up. His head throbbed like he had been hit by a truck carrying bricks, and his body ached as if he had fallen off a cliff.
"Ugh… What the hell happened?"
He groggily opened his eyes—
And froze.
He wasn't in his room.
He wasn't in front of his computer.
He was sitting in a dark stone chamber filled with torches, surrounded by people in black robes and sinister armor.
And worse…
They were all staring at him.
— "Lord Leonel Nightshade! Our great master of darkness, you have finally awakened!"
A heavily armored knight fell to one knee, eyes burning with excitement.
— …Huh?
— "The heavens have blessed us! At last, we can begin your grand scheme to conquer the world!"
THUNK!
Leonel slammed his forehead against the stone table in front of him.
"No. No way. This has to be some weird dream."
But then, a blue holographic screen popped up in front of his eyes:
📢 DING! [Congratulations! You have unlocked the Villain System!]
🔹 [First Mission: GIVE A DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE TO YOUR FOLLOWERS!]
➡️ Reward: +10% Intimidation and a free "Sinister Laugh" skill.
➡️ Penalty for Refusal: Reputation -50% (and automatic sinister laugh activation).
Leonel stared at the screen, mouth hanging open.
System? Villain System?!
— "My lord?" — One of the knights tilted his head. — "Are you not going to deliver your speech?"
— …WHAT?!
📢 DING! [Penalty activated! Auto 'Sinister Laugh' Mode engaged.]
— BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
"NO! I DIDN'T MEAN TO LAUGH!"
But it was too late.
His followers gasped in awe.
— "M-Master… that laugh… It was even more terrifying than we expected!"
— "A true evil mastermind!"
— "Our dark prophecy is coming true! Our lord will bring chaos to the world!"
Leonel closed his eyes, taking a slow breath.
He was completely screwed.
As he looked at the glowing system screen in front of him, a single thought ran through his head:
"Shit… If I don't play along, I might die before these 30 days are up."
Gritting his teeth, he slowly rose to his feet.
If that was the case…
Then he would outsmart the system, the hero, and this entire damn world.
"Challenge accepted."